“50 lemons are a burden for one person, but are a treasure for 50 people.” ~ Anon.

Vietnamese, Thai, and Cambodian foods have a lot in common, coming mostly from French and Chinese influences. Khmer (Cambodian) cuisine, however, often contains preserved lemons and is not as spicy-hot as the others. We don’t see it often in this country, but the flavors and textures are intriguing.

Because the Cambodian dinner usually begins with a soup laced with a strong tasting fermented fish paste called “prohoc,” which is unappealing to many Westerners, we’ve eliminated it in this recipe. Without prohoc, the soup isn’t authentic Khmer, but still allows us to enjoy the style of the creamy coconut, lemon, and rice combination.

Creamy Coconut Rice Soup

Makes 4 cups
Time: 10 minutes (+ time to cook the rice)

1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried, crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon red curry paste
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons Preserved Lemon peel or fresh lemon zest, slivered
1 cup vegetable broth
2 cups So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage
2 cups cooked rice (may be leftover from day before)
1 cup coarsely chopped cooked vegetables (optional)

Measure the ginger, garlic, pepper, red curry paste, turmeric, cumin, lemon peel, and vegetable broth into a medium pot. Stir together to blend, then bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in the cooked rice, vegetables, and coconut milk and continue heating just until the soup is hot. Serve immediately.

This soup thickens greatly on standing, so should not be made ahead. If you have leftovers, however, just thin with additional coconut milk beverage when re-warming.

Not much about Southeastern Asia is taught in our schools, but the cultures of these countries is fascinating, especially the Kingdom of Cambodia. Try reading some Cambodian folk tales while slurping up your soup!

Caterpillar: By the way, I have a few more helpful hints. One side will make you grow taller…
Alice: One side of what?
Caterpillar: …and the other side will make you grow shorter.
Alice: The other side of what?
Caterpillar: THE MUSHROOM, OF COURSE!
~ from the 1951 movie production of Alice in Wonderland based on the book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by English author Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgeson, 1832-1898).

Move over mac ‘n cheese, there’s a new, surprisingly rich, kid in town.

Actually, this recipe probably originated long before macaroni and cheese was even imagined, it just doesn’t have as good a publicity agent. Orzo with onions, mushrooms and walnuts is just about as close to the earth as we can get and still be cooking. And if that thought is intriguing, you should get a whiff of the kitchen right now because this orzo dish has an aroma that can float a body to heaven.

Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta and comes made with refined semolina flour, or in whole wheat. Either type works just fine, but the whole wheat orzo is more nutritious has an earthier flavor, so that’s what we’re using to go with the mushrooms and onions. The walnuts add healthy oils and protein but may be replaced with cooked peas if you prefer.

Down to Earth Orzo
Makes 4 (1-cup) servings
Time: 30 minutes

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups chopped mushrooms (about ½ pound, raw)
1 cup orzo
2 cups vegetable or mushroom broth
1 cup walnut pieces (or cooked peas)

In a medium soup pot, soften the onion in the oil over medium heat, without browning, for about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until they release their moisture, about 5 more minutes.

Stir in the orzo and broth and bring to a boil. Cover to cook, lifting the lid to stir occasionally, for 12 minutes. Remove the lid and continue cooking, if necessary, until there is no standing liquid when you move the solids to the side.

Meanwhile, toast the walnut pieces (if using) in a dry skillet, tossing frequently over medium heat, for about 5 minutes, just until they begin to brown. Stir them (or the cooked peas) into the orzo mixture when it is done cooking.

Serve hot with good stories in the middle of a blizzard, if possible.

“Poetry is the synthesis of hyacinths and biscuits.” ~ Carl Sandburg, American Pulitzer Prize winning author (1878 – 1967)

When my kids were young, we used to go camping a lot. Actually, it was the only kind of vacation we took, which was wonderful anyway because we got to see some pretty amazing sights – giant redwood trees in California, desert wildlife in southern New Mexico, stars on a clear night in the middle of the Rockies, walking sticks, great horned owls, and much, much more – and I developed the skills needed to cook almost anything in a pot or skillet.

Recently, I learned that my simple Griddle Biscuits are actually the same thing as what the rest of the world calls Welsh Scones. They are every bit as tender and flaky as the kind that are baked in an oven, but they have a crunchy crust that makes them somehow better.

Prepare these from only the basic ingredients for a plain biscuit that is a perfect accompaniment to a spicy stew or soup. However, if you are making them for breakfast or to go with afternoon tea, you might want to dress them up with an optional ingredient or two.

If you can’t get the So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage where you live, go ahead and use any type of milk you choose. I do find, however, that the fats in the coconut milk give a more tender crumb than any other kind of milk, and it clots up as soon as the lemon juice has been added, so there is no need to wait on it.

Griddle Biscuits (a.k.a. Welsh Scones)

Makes 8 fluffy biscuits
Time: 20 minutes

Basic Ingredients:
¾ cup So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ cup buttery spread, melted (we use Earth Balance)

As is, or your choice of the following (for example):
1 tablespoon sugar
½ cup chopped dried fruit
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon + 1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon Taco Seasoning Mix (page 110 in Mosaic Meals)

Mix the milk and the lemon juice together in a small bowl and set aside (it is going to get curdled and ugly, but we’ll still love it anyway).

Turn the heat on low under a large non-stick skillet or well seasoned cast iron griddle. On my stove, this is a “3” setting out of 10.

Measure the flour, soda, cream of tartar, and salt into a medium bowl. Stir in sugar, dried fruit, or seasonings if you are using them.

Pour the curdled milk and the melted buttery spread onto the flour mixture, then stir with a fork (don’t beat it) to make a tender dough – just to the point where it comes together. It will still be a little sticky.

Using ¼ cup measures and generously floured hands, form the dough into 8 discs about 2 ½ inches across and of uniform thickness.

Gently place the biscuits onto the skillet or griddle leaving an inch between and cook for 7 minutes. The bottom should be nicely browned. Very gently flip the biscuits over but whatever you do, DO NOT PRESS DOWN on the tops or they will turn into hockey pucks. Allow to brown for another 7 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool at least 5 minutes before serving.

In the spirit of simple treats being the best, serve these while still slightly warm, with some buttery spread and a bit of jam if you are having them for your afternoon tea, and most especially if having afternoon tea involves a state or National Park.

“Peace of mind and a comfortable income are predicted by a dream of eating potatoes in any form.” ~Ned Ballantyne & Stella Coeli, Your Horoscope and Your Dreams (1940)

Indian samosas are a favorite at our house and have been since we first discovered them. In case you don’t already know, a samosa is a bread-like pastry wrapped around a seasoned potatoes and peas filling, which is then deep fried or baked. They are eaten out of hand, hot or at room temperature, and dipped in a vinegar-based sauce, which makes them a great lunchbox item.

Sadly, they are time consuming to make.

Then, last week, I was shopping at Kroger and there in their “healthy” frozen food section (begs us to question what’s in the regular frozen foods, doesn’t it?), I spotted some Amy’s Indian Samosa Wraps. Ingenious! But that $2.99 each price tag…

At least the concept of the whole wheat tortilla used in place of the traditional bread wrap seemed worth building off of. While Amy boosts the protein level in hers by using some added tofu, we’ll just go ahead and make the filling like we always have, counting on the combination of peas and whole grains to be nutritionally sufficient.

Bake, microwave, or boil the potatoes to cook them, but keep the skins on to preserve the vitamins. It is ok to prepare the potatoes ahead of time, but they should be at least a little warm when you begin to combine them with the onion mixture so reheat if needed.

Indian Samosas, Wrapped
Serves 4
Time: 30 minutes + cooking time for the potatoes

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ cup finely minced onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon whole mustard seeds
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon salt
2 large potatoes, cooked and mashed, about 3 cups
1 ½ cups frozen peas, thawed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
8 large whole wheat tortillas

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Soften the onion in the vegetable oil over medium heat but do not allow them to brown. Stir in the garlic, ginger, mustard seeds, coriander, and salt and continue to heat until they become fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir them into the mashed potatoes. Gently fold in the peas and lemon juice.

Heat the tortillas according to the package directions before using.

Place ½ cup filling on each tortilla, rolling as for a burrito by folding one end over the filling, then folding two ends toward the center, and rolling to completely enclose.

To eat hot…

As the samosas are completed, place them side-by-side in a lightly oiled baking dish. Cover the dish with a lid or piece of foil to hold in any steam that may form. Place in the oven for 15 minutes to heat through.

OR

Store the samosas in a tightly covered container, and reheat in the oven or microwave oven as you wish.

Serve hot or at room temperature with a dipping sauce, such as this one, which can be prepared while the samosas are in the oven:

Sweet Vinegar Sauce
Makes ½ cup
Time: 15 minutes

½ cup cider vinegar
½ cup water
3 tablespoons brown or raw sugar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt

Measure all ingredients into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to simmer until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly before serving.

Eat an orange with your Samosas and you’ll have enjoyed a lunch full of the fruits, vegetables and whole grains you promised yourself you’d eat more of this year.

“Alligator soup, alligator soup,
If I don’t get some I think I’m gonna droop.
Give away my hockey stick, give away my hoop,
But don’t give away my alligator soup. “ ~ Dennis Lee, Canadian poet and author of Alligator Pie, (1939 – )

In the absence of alligators here in the snowy north today, we decided that beans in our soup would do just fine. At least beans have no gristle.

Whatever your comfort food is, it seems that winter is the best time to eat it. For us, our weekly soup never gets old, and it is an excellent opportunity to pack the most nutritious foods into our diet.

If your New Year’s resolutions included eating healthier, or eating more vegetables, soup is a great tool for meeting those goals.

Red Pepper and White Bean Soup
Serves 4
Time: 20 minutes

½ cup thinly sliced onion
1 medium carrot, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup vegetable broth
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, divided, rinsed and drained
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Salt to taste
Guacamole to garnish (optional – page 114 in Mosaic Meals)

Purée one can of the drained beans in a blender or by mashing well. Set aside.

Soften onion and carrot in olive oil over medium heat in a medium-size soup pot, but do not brown. Add the red pepper and garlic and continue cooking for about 2 minutes more, then stir in the cumin for 30 seconds, until it becomes fragrant.

Add the puréed beans and remaining ingredients. Continue to heat until it begins to bubble. Correct the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with guacamole, if desired.

Since this is a very mild tasting soup, serve it with a flavorful accompaniment such as a green salad with a tangy dressing like the Secret Sweetheart Dressing, made from pickled beets, on page 118 in the Mosaic Meals cookbook.